The winner was 19 year-old Kirsten Haglund of Farmington Hills and it ended a 20 year title drought since Miss Michigan last claimed the crown.

Twenty loooong years since Miss Michigan reigned victorious.

In fact, it got so bad in the past two decades as Michigan constantly lost before grabbing the brass ring bouquet, there were whispers that the winner of Michigan's in-state beauty pageant should no longer get an automatic bid to the Miss American contest.

Even this year, with Miss Haglund coming off impressive victories in the 2007 Miss Oakland County contest and the 2007 Miss Michigan pageant to get to the big dance...and singing...and answering important-sounding questions contest, some fans of the southern state entries thought there was no way Michigan was strong enough to win the title in 2008. That's because, for years, northern beauty contestants had a reputation of not being able to compete with the speed of southern belles.

From their choice of bad show tunes for the talent competition to outdated one-piece bathing suits in the bikini competitions, it seemed the pageant game had passed Michigan and its northern neighbors by.

Not anymore.

As Miss Michigan's winning bikini photos here show, Michigan has stormed its way into the 21st century pageant world.

Sure, as is typical for Michigan beauty pageant fans, some will complain that the state representative should have gone to the smokin' hot black two piece sooner. That recruiting drop dead gorgeous blondes with perfect legs and a killer smile instead of brunettes who were smart and could play the tuba should have been done 10 pageants ago.

But what's done is done. The past is the past. And with a new found confidence that comes from victory, Michigan is already looking ahead. To 2009. With whispers of "repeat" already echoing from coast to coast - from the coast of Lake Michigan to the coast of Lake Erie.

In a related story, Detroit Free Press columnist Drew Sharp is said to be working on a column criticizing Haglund and her victory simply because the thought of Michigan winning a national title in anything makes him break out in hives and must be condemned.

I look at that girl's body and think "she's going to be used up in about 10 years." I have never been a big fan of pageants nor the super fitness bodybuilding scene. She doesn't even look good to me because she already has too much muscle and her body looks about 5-7 years older than her face does.

Pageants are only good anymore when they are wrought with scandalous photos or sex tapes.

Now, I sort of agree w/ him. I think the whole Pryor mania is overwrought and the program is never going to hinge on the signing of one recruit. However, just about two weeks ago, he penned this column-

So, like which is it? If landing Pryor is a “must”, why would it be an over rated victory? Or is this really just Sharp setting it up so that no matter what happens, he’ll be able to write a negative column either way?

That's the amount of brainpower I'm willing to expend on that jackass.

Yeah, the upside down logo was kinda funny. The "Little Sister" chant at the end of the game was rather hilarious, too. I'm resigned to the fact we won't be beating them on a regular basis anytime soon, so I don't take it quite as seriously as they do with the "Little Brother" thing.

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